Noida: Days after Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapse that claimed seven lives, Noida Authority has begun pasting vacate notices on 56 buildings it found dilapidated and unsafe years ago. The sudden notices have left residents scrambling for answers about where they will go and for how long.The notices are being pasted in densely populated areas such as Sadarpur, Nithari, Mamura, Salarpur and Bhangel. One such notice to an EWS flat owner in Sector 31 cited “poor maintenance and construction beyond sanctioned plans”, saying these alterations had weakened the original structure. It advised residents to “vacate the premises immediately” and move to “safer buildings”.The timing has raised questions about why such buildings were allowed to remain occupied for so many years. After a six-storey building collapsed in Shahberi on July 17, 2018, killing nine persons, the Authority had surveyed the city and listed 1,757 unauthorised structures. Of these, 56 were found dilapidated, 114 stood on notified land, 261 on acquired land and 1,326 in villages. Demolition drives were carried out then, but officials admitted they failed to produce the desired results.Many of these buildings where notices are being pasted now are among the 56 dilapidated structures.The Authority has since revised building bylaws for urban villages. Yet, officials said, few residents approached the Authority for approval of building maps. Although rules allow a maximum FAR of 1.8 on freehold plots and buildings up to 15 metres or three floors, several multi-storey structures have come up without sanctioned maps.Kapil Singh, senior manager at the Authority, said the fresh notices were being served “to ensure the safety of buildings and their occupants”. But residents insisted safety cannot mean being asked to simply leave home without a plan.NEFOWA president Abhishek Kumar said the Authority “did not appear to be serious” about the issue and sought structural audits of older highrises. Ranjan Tomar, president of Noida Village Residents’ Association, said, “For a family living in a flat or house, ‘vacate immediately’ is not a practical instruction.”He sought a temporary accommodation or rehabilitation framework, especially for children, elderly people and economically weaker families.BUILDING TO BE RAZEDThe Authority also demolished part of an unauthorised five-storey commercial building in Hajipur after a court cleared the way. The 1,200sqm plot had been acquired by the Authority in March 2002 but was later encroached upon and developed.Seven earthmovers began the demolition at 10am on Friday, but the exercise was stopped around 1.30pm because of the BRICS summit. About 20% of the structure was brought down and the drive is expected to resume in two days. “We have also placed a board declaring the building is illegal,” Authority general manager AK Arora said.The demolition had earlier stalled after resistance from encroachers, who allegedly poured kerosene threatening self-immolation on July 6, 2024. A case was registered against Chirag Nehra and Sumit Yadav under BNS sections 226 and 329(4).
